Which Candidates Have Responded to Our 2025 Political Q&A

This weekend, we published number 13 in this series (Erika Strassburger) so it is time to update once again. I’ve reached out to over 40 campaigns, 20 have replied requesting a Q&A. So we are waiting on seven to be returned. And keeping open the door to other candidates. There are seven weeks left to […]

A dangerous moment in my depression requires a response

Today, I had a disturbing thought, wondering if my friends were tiring of hearing me talk about my current struggle with depression? Revisiting recent conversations, looking for subtext, listening for nuance – all to convince myself that I was indeed disturbing them. And that’s the deadly moment where many of us who won’t want to […]

The 2025 Political Q&A Series: Erika Strassburger, Candidate For Pittsburgh City Council District 8

No one should be punished simply because they have found themself in an abusive relationship. Knowing how difficult it is for people to leave these relationships when the abuser has gained often emotional, financial, social, and physical power over them, I felt strongly that they should have every tool possible to gain their independence, freedom, […]

Trans woman of color who supported herself as a sex worker while living on the streets was killed by police when she called 911

Linda Becerra Moran was 30 when she called 911 and reported she was at risk of being kidnnapped in Los Angeles. That was February 7, 2025. The Crime According to the website Remembering Our Dead Footage of the encounter showed officers speaking in Spanish with a distraught Becerra Moran in the moments leading up to […]

The 2025 Political Q&A Series: Lissa Geiger Shulman, Candidate For Allegheny County Council

I helped to found a group called “Hampton for All” which is a community resource for educators, parents, and students in our community. We have a visible presence at our school board promoting protection for all marginalized groups in the town, including trans students. Meet the Candidate Welcome to the 2025 election season series ‘Political […]

Designating Pitt Men’s Study as a Historic Location Would Put the Narrative in the Hands of the Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Community

First, do no harm. I don’t think Donny’s Place, a former gay bar in the Polish Hill neighborhood, should be designated as a historic designation. And it certainly shouldn’t be the first place so designated. Back in 2021, I was contacted by Preservation Pittsburgh to support their efforts to designate the site of the former […]

2025 Discovery of the Body of Jay Lee, a Gay Black GNC 20-year-old, Spurs Trans, Queer Advocacy in Mississippi

The Crime Jay Lee also styled as Jaylee went missing on Friday 8th July, 2022 from Lafayette County, Mississippi. There was a suspect who went to trial even though Jay’s body was not found until early February 2025 in  in Carroll County. The legal proceedings in 2022 ended in mistrial. Upon the recent discovery of […]

Review: I Might Be a Little Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Pittsburgh Public Theater is wrapping up the season with a big splashy mid-Century modern stage classic, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Written by Edward Albee, it won Tony Award for Best Play in 1963 and was considered controversial in its day. Is it on par with the big period stage pieces? Not yet. I’ll explain. […]

The 2025 Political Q&A Series: Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling, Candidate For Allegheny County Council

Kathleen Madonna Emmerling

While Allegheny County does include gender and gender expression in its anti-discrimination policy for employees, I support a county-level ordinance similar to the City of Pittsburgh fair employment ordinance (Chapter 659.02), is appropriate and feasible. The County often models its legislation after city policies pass.  Meet the Candidate Welcome to the 2025 election season series […]

Hard to be sure. Sometimes I feel so insecure.

Sometimes, blogging is overwhelming. Tonight is one of those times. I just published a post about being a disabled person relying on Social Security Disability Insurance after adding a few finishing touches. After getting home from a 3 and 1/2 hour play that I have to review. I received two additional Political Q&A responses that […]